Process for the production of anhydrous aluminum chloride



L. BURGESS. PROCESS FOR THEPRODUCTION OF'ANHYDROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, I919.

[NVEN TOR.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Eatented Jan. 31, 1922.,

WITNESS:

L. BURGESS. PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ANHYDROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1919.

N QM I N VEN TOR.

W1 TNESS:

- aluminum chloride.

UNITED STATES PATENT ornca.

. LOUIS BURGESS, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR r0 STANDARD 01:, coniriuvy, A. can,

' PORATION or NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN HYDROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE.

' Application filed May 13,

BURGESS, a citiat New ork and -State' of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for the Production of Anhydrous Aluminum Chloride, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates improvements in processes for the production of anhydrous aluminum chloride.

According to my present invention, finely divided aluminum carbide is suspended in hydrochloric acid gas, and an exothermic reaction is initiated by the application of heat, in order to produce anhydrous'aluminum chloride. The process is preferably performed by forming a mixture of aluminum carbide and hydrochloric acid gas by suspending the former in the latter, and flowing saldmixture into a reaction chamber, wherein an application of heat causes a reaction between the carbide and the acid gads, thereby producing the alum num chlor1 e.

I have fully and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings one apparatus adapted to carry out in a preferred manner the process of my invention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section through said apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown at the left of Fig. 1.

I will first describe the apparatus, and in connection with the operation thereof to be set forth later, willdescribe my new and improved process. I j 1 designates a hopper or container adapted to contain ground or pulverized aluminum carbide which is {to be acted uponby dry hydrochloric acid gas, to produce anhydrous The outlet end of this hopper 1 is connected to a trough 2, the'latoutlet preferably in the terbeing closed at one end by an end-wall 3, and provided at its op osite end with an orm of a cylindrical spout 4 o enin into the receiving end ofa chute 5, t e out et end 6 of which is connected to the upper'wall 7 of a reaction chamber or furnace 8 into-which the chute 5 is adapted to deliver material containedin the hopper 1. Arranged in the bottom of the trough 2 and extending through the spout 4, is a screw-conveyor 9 having at one end a shaft Specification of Letters Patent.

to new and useful suitable means, preferably by an electric mo- 1919. Serial No. 296,792.

10 j ournalled in a bearing 11 carried. by the said end-wall 3, while at its opposite end said conveyor is mounted on a shaft 12 journalled 1n a bear ng 13 mounted on the chute 5. The operation of the screw-conveyor is to feed the loose material from the hopper 1 length.- w1se of the trough 2 and spout 4-into the chute 5, and to provide for a continuous feed of' such material to the. heating chamber. The screw-conveyor may be driven by any tor 14 suspended by a suitable, hangerv 15 from the bottom of the trough 2. The armature shaft of the motor carries a pinion 16, meshing with a gear 17 mounted on a shaft 18 having suitable bearing in said hanger15, and also carrying a pinion 1 9 meshing with a gear 20 fixed to said shaft 10 Mounted on the shaft 12 and located w thin the inlet end of the chute 5, are agitator plates or vanes 21 which, when the said shaft is rotated, serve to agitate, mix and suspend the materials fed to said chute by the screw-conveyor.

Surrounding a portion of the trough 2 and the spout 4, 1s a jacket 22,-said jacket provid ing an annular chamber 23 which is closed at one-end, as at 24, and having its other end opening through an annular orifice 25 surrounding the outlet end of the spout 4. The said annular chamber 23 afforded by the wall of the spout and the jacket 22, is adapted to receive hydrochloric acid gas through a supply connection 24, which. gas flows through said orifice 25, and is mixedwith thepulver-- ized material as the latter passes to the reaction chamber, to be hereinafter described.

The agitator plates 21 serve to thoroughly.

mix the hydrochloric acid gas-and said-ma-v terial before they are admitted to said reaction chamber 8.

Within the reaction chamber 8 is arranged a pair of arc electrodes 26, one of which'may be connected to a threaded rod 27 extending through a stuffing-box 28 on the upper wall 7, and engaged by a hand-wheel nut 29, in order that the distance between the said are electrodes may be adjusted. The chamber is rovide'd with a fire-brick lining 30 of any suitable type. Said chamber may also be provided with a thermocouple 3-1 of a pyrometer adapted to measuring instrument (not shown), in order to determine the temperature within the said furnace. At its upper end the reaction Patented Jan. 31, 1922;

be connected'to a suitable chamber or furnace is connected by a duct 32, with the upper end of a condenser 33, provided with a baflie-plate 34 and a drop door 35, the latter permitting removal from the condenser of the material condensed therein. The baffle plate is preferably supported free from the sidewall and bottom of the condenser, but in such position as to intercept the volatile aluminum. chloride invention is performed as follows Aluminum carbide, preferably in a finely divided or pulverized condition, i. e., about 200 mesh, is placed in the hopper 1, and hydrochloric acid gas is admitted to the chamber 23 through the coupling 24 the said gas being supplied at such pressure as will cause ready flow of the same to the furnace 8. The screw-conveyor being set into motion, the finely divided aluminum carbide is fed through the spout 4, past the orifice 25, through which the hydrochloric acid gas emerges and is mixed with ,the aluminum carbide. The revolving plates or vanes 21 serve to agitate the pulverized aluminum carbide and suspend it in the current of hydrochloric acid gas. Previous to the feeding df the mixture of aluminum car bide and hydrochloric acid gas to the furnace chamber, the arc in the latter is established, and sald chamber is heated to such a temperature as will cause aluminum carbide and hydrochloric acid gas to react exothermically to produce anhydrous aluminum chloride. The feed of the mixture of hydrochloric acid gas and aluminum carbide to the chamber may take place continuously and need .not bestopped, except when it is necessary to remove residues from the said furnace chamber. The reaction is continuous, and it is not necessary that the arc be maintained after the reaction is initiated, because being an exothermic reaction it will generate sufiicient heat to continue the reaction. 'The volatile anhydrous aluminum chloride produced in the reaction chamber 8 passes through the duct 32 to the first condenser 33, where a portion df the aluminum chloride is condensed and deposited in the bottom of the condenser, from which point it may be removed through the drop door 35. he imcondensed volatile aluminum chloride and the gases generated by the recarbide with .it.

action pass on through the duct 38 to the condenser 33 where further condensation takes place with deposition of the anhydrous aluminum chloride in powdered form. It will be noted that I' may employ one or more condensers without departing from my invention. The baffles 34-serve to separate the inlet ducts of the condensers from the outlet ducts thereof, and provide for a circuitous path of the volatile aluminum chloride, in order to insure eflicient condensation thereof. Any one or all of the condensers may be provided with a suitable outlet for the gases generated by the reaction.

It will be understood from the above description, that in performing the proces according to my invention, the hydrochloric acid gas will preferably be flowed in a stream into the reaction chamber, and will be under such pressure as to have suflicient Velocity to carry the suspended aluminum The aluminum carbide be-. ing in a very fine'ly or pulverized condition is beaten up or agitated so as to be thor-v oughly suspended in the hydrochloric acid gas, and be carried by the latter intothe reaction chamber in such form as to be sub- -jected to the reaction with the hydrochloric acid gas before said carbide can drop to the bottom of the chamber. In other words,

the reaction takes place between the alumi: I

num carbide and the hydrochloric acid gas while the former is suspended in the latter, and the finely divided mate contact with the acid gas.

What I claim and desire to secure 'by'Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The process of producing .anhydrous aluminum chloride, which consists in suspending finely divided aluminum carbide in hydrochloric acid gas, initiating a reaction by the application of heat thereto, and contlnllllrig the reaction exothermically.

2. he process of producing anhydrous aluminum chloride, which consistsni n suspending by agitation finely divided aluminum carbide in hydrochloric acidgas, initiating a reaction by the application of heat, and continuing the reaction exothermically. I 3. The process of roducing anhydrous aluminum chloride, w ich consists in continuously feeding finely divided aluminum carbide into .a current of hydrochloric acid gas, mixing the said gas and aluminum carbide by agitation, passing the mixture into a reaction chamber, and initiating a reaction in'said chamber by the application of heat.

' 4. The process of producing anhydrous aluminum chloride, which consists in continuously feeding finely'divided aluminum carbide mto a current ofhydrochloric acid gas,- mixing the said gas and aluminum carbide, by agitation, passing the mixture into a reaction chamber, initiating a reaction in said particles are in intichamber by the application of heat, and continuing the reaction exothermically.

5. The process of producing anhydrous aluminum chloride, which consists in suspending finely divided aluminum carbide in hydrochloric acid gas, initiating a reaction by the application of heat thereto, discontinuing the application of heat and then adding new material and continuing the reaction exothermically.

6. In the process of producing aluminum chloride, the step which consists in subjecting aluminum carbide in finely divided condltion to the action of hydrochloric acid, the

process being carried out with the materials 15 heated exothermically. In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscrlbing Witnesses.

ADELE S. EBERHARDT, C. G. HEYLMUN. 

